Almost every special ops guys are short and wiry. Supposedly a stamina thing, those guys can run all day, strong, skilled.
Dad was 101st Airborne, so he was crazy. He was out of it by the time I came along though and he didn't tell stories.
My dad was an Army Ranger, like 5-8, 170 and he was a dude I saw hurt people in fights. He told me early on, if the dude has cauliflower, just say, "my bad" and leave it be. Win or lose, fighting them won't be fun.